Democrats risk air safety by forcing unpaid controllers, Karoline Leavitt warns

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt warned on Tuesday, November 4, that Democrats are making air travel unsafe by forcing air traffic controllers to work unpaid during the longest government shutdown in US history.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said his department could be forced to shut down US airspace and ground flights in parts of the country as early as next week due to staffing shortages caused by the funding gap.

Karoline Leavitt highlights air safety concerns and political stalemate

The White House suggested that Democrats are so immovable in their stance that they “won’t vote to end the government shutdown unless planes are literally falling out of the sky.”

Leavitt called on just five Senate Democrats to join Republicans in passing a ‘clean continuing resolution’ to ensure essential workers who manage US air traffic are paid as the nation heads into its busiest travel season.

This week, federal workers in control centers will miss their second paycheck since the shutdown began on October 1.

Sean Duffy warns of potential airspace closures and chaos

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy raised alarms, warning that US airspace might need to be partially shut down and flights canceled due to insufficient staffing.

Duffy emphasized that these actions would be taken solely for public safety, but acknowledged that nationwide delays, cancellations, and even full ground stops could occur. Absences among air traffic controllers have “skyrocketed,” reaching more than 80 percent of the normal workforce in some New York-area airports.

Karoline Leavitt criticizes Democrats' stand 

Leavitt referred to a controversial statement last month when a Democratic staffer told CNN, “short of planes falling out of the sky,” the party would not reopen the government.

“That is a reckless and dangerous statement from someone who did not want to put their name on it, but we know it came from the Democrat Party,” Leavitt said.

She stressed the administration’s focus on resuming safe and efficient travel: “We want to reopen the government so we can resume travel in the safest and most efficient way possible, especially as we head into the busiest travel season of the year." 

Asked if Americans should continue to fly, Leavitt noted the shutdown has made air travel riskier and placed responsibility on Congress: “The administration is encouraging Democrats to reopen the federal government so this chaos and disruption to our air traffic control system stops. It is ridiculous that we have even gotten to this place.”

She added that “for 35 days our air traffic controllers continue to work unpaid” and airlines are “begging” Democrats to reopen the government ahead of the holidays. As of Wednesday, the shutdown will officially become the longest in US history.